Animated horse attachment for a tricycle



Nov. 8, 19% R. G. BLAIR ANIMATED HORSE ATTACHMENT FOR A TRICYCLE 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 10, 1964 Nova &, WW R. G. BLAIR 3,284,090

ANIMATED HORSE ATTACHMENT FOR A TRICYCLE Filed Sept. 10, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 2 firmp/vsva United States Patent Ofllice 3,284,090Patented Nov. 8, 1966 3,284,090 ANIMATED HORSE ATTACHMENT FOR A TRICYCLERuth G. Blair, 1256 N. Central Ave., Batesville, Ark. Filed Sept. 10,1964, Ser. No. 395,393 6 Claims. (Cl. 280-1202) This invention relatesto an animated horse device and more particularly to an animated horseattachment which is secured to the forward portion of a tricycle.

A principal object of this invention is to provide an animated horseattachment which may be secured to the front end of a childs tricycle.

A further object of this invention is to provide an animated horseattachment which is secured to the front end of a childs tricycle andwhich has movable leg and head portions.

A further object of this invention is to provide an animated horseattachment which is secured to the front endof a tricycle which does notinterfere with the operation of the tricycle.

A further object of this invention is to provide an animated horseattachment for a tricycle which provides amusement in the use of thetricycle.

A further object of this invention is to provide an animated horseattachment for a tricycle which is attractive.

A further object of this invention is to provide an animated horseattachment for a tricycle which is durable in use, refined in appearanceand economical of manufacture.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This invention consists in the construction, arrange ments, andcombination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objectscontemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth,specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device mounted on the forward end ofa tricycle;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top elevational view of the device with portionsof the tricycle cut away to more fully illustrate the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the device;

FIG. 4 is a sectional View of the device seen on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 atan enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary interior view of the device illustrating themeans for moving the various legs;

, FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the left side of thehorse device illustrating the manner in which the legs are operated andthe means by which the head is made movable;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the right side of thehorse portion illustrating the manner in which the legs are moved;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the device as seen on line 8-8 of FIG. 4at an enlarged scale;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the device seen on line 9-9 of FIG. 6 atan enlarged scale illustrating the manner in which the head portion ofthe device moves; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary exploded view of the device illustrating themeans by which the rear legs of the horse are operated by the tricyclepedals.

The numeral 10 generally designates a conventional tricycle having aframe 11, two parallel spaced apart wheels 13 and 15 rotatably mountedon the rearwardly end thereof, a substantially vertical fork wheelsupport 17 pivotally mounted on the forward end of frame 11. Fork wheelsupport 17 includes leg members 19 and 21 in which a front wheel 23 isrotatably secured. Secured to the upper end of fork wheel support 17 isa conventional handle bar 25. Pedal means 27 and 29 are secured toopposite sides of the central portion of wheel 23 as seen in FIG. 2.

Secured to fork members 19 and 21 by means of clamps 31 and 33respectively are elongated support members 35 and 37 which extendforwardly therefrom as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. A simulated animal 39 suchas a horse as seen in the drawings is supported on support members 35and 37 by means of brackets 42 and 44 embracing support members 35 and37 and being secured to opposite sides of animal 39.

Animal 39 includes a body portion 41 having spaced apart side members 43and 45 and a head portion 47 movably mounted on the forward end of body41. Rear legs 49 and 51 are movably mounted on the rearward end of bodyportion 41 by means of pin member 53 rotatably extending through bodyportion 41. Front legs 55 and 57 are movably mounted on the forward endof body portion 41 by means of pin member 59 extending therethrough.Front legs 55 and 57 include lower portions 56 and 58 which arepivotally connected thereto respectively.

Rear leg 49 has a pin member 61 secured thereto which extends inwardlyfrom the inner surface thereof through slot 63 in side member 43 of bodyportion 41 as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. Rotatably mounted on pin 61 betweenside members 43 and 45 are elongated spaced apart arm members 65 and 67which are secured thereto and extend forwardly therefrom as seen in FIG.5. An arm member 69 is pivotally secured to the forward end of armmember65 by means of pin 71 as seen in FIG. 5. The other end of arm member 69is pivotally mounted on pin member 59 which extends through front legs55 and 57.. A pin member 73 is secured to arm member 69 intermediate thelength thereof which extends outwardly through slot 75 in side member 43and is secured to front leg 55. An arm member 77 is secured to theforward end of arm member 67 by means of pin 79 as seen in FIG. 5. Theother end of arm member 77 is pivotally mounted on pin member 59.Secured to arm member 77 intermediate the length thereof is a pin member81 which extends outwardly through the slot 83 in side member 45 and issecured to front leg 57 as seen in FIG. 4. It should be noted that armmember 65 normally extends above pin member 59 while arm member 67normally extends below pin member 59 as seen in FIG. 5.

A link member 85 is detachably rotatably secured to pedal member 29 andextends forwardly therefrom and is pivotally connected to the lower endof rear leg 51. A link member 87 is rotatably connected to pedal member27 and extends forwardly therefrom and is pivotally connected to thelower end of rear leg 49 as seen in FIG. 1.

Movable head 47 is secured to body portion 41 as follows. A wooden blockmember 89 is mounted between side members 43 and 45 adjacent theirforward end and has bores 91 and 93 extending therethrough. A secondwooden block member 95 is mounted between side member 97 and 99 of headportion 47 and has elongated bores 101 and 103 extending therethrough. Adowel rod 105 which has been cut in two is mounted on the forward end ofbody portion 41 as seen in FIG. 9 so that the arcuate portion extendsforwardly therefrom to frictionally engage movable head portion 47. Anelongated coil spring 107 is mounted in bores 91 and 101 to yieldablymaintain movable head portion 47 in frictional engagement with bodyportion 41. An elongated coil spring 109 is mounted in elongated bores93 and 103 and maintained therein by any convenient means as was coilspring 107. It should be noted that coil springs 107 and 109 extendthrough registering holes in dowel rod 105. A first rein member 111 issecured to the outer surface of side member 97 and extends rearwardly tohandle members 25. A second rein member 113 is secured to the outersurface of side member 99 and extends rearwardly to handle member 25 ontricycle 10 as seen in FIG. 1.

The normal method of operation is as follows. As pedal member 27 isoperated, link member 87 causes the lower end of rear leg 49 to pivotforwardly and rearwardly. As leg 49 moves forwardly, arm member 65 willmove forwardly due to its being connected to pin 61 in leg 49. Theforward movement of arm 65 causes arm member 69 to pivot about pin 59.As arm member 69 pivots forwardly about pin member 59 front leg 55 willbe moved rearwardly due to the interconnection between front leg 55 andarm member 69 by means of pin 73. Simultaneously with the forwardmovement of arm 65 will be the forward movement of arm member 67. Theforward movement of arm 67 will cause arm member 77 to pivot forwardlyabout pin 59. The forward movement of arm 67 will cause front leg 57 tobe moved forwardly due to the connection between front leg 57 and armmember 77 by means of pin 81. When arms 65 and 67 are moved rearwardlydue to pedal member 27 being rotated rearwardly, front leg 55 will moveforwardly and front leg 57 will move rearwardly. It is obvious thatpedal member 27 operates rear leg 49 and front legs 55 and 57. Pedalmember 29 operates rear leg 51 through link means 85.

The movable head portion 47 may be turned to the right or to the left bysimply pulling on rein member 113 or 111 respectively. The rearwardportions of side members 97 and 99 of head portion 47 engage the arcuateouter surface of dowel member 105 to provide a smooth bearing surfaceand to hide the gap between the side members. Therefore, as the childrides the tricycle the leg members of the horse will be continuallyoperating and the child may also pull on the reins to turn the horseshead. It is apparent that the simulated animal is quickly and easilyattached to the forward end of the tricycle and will not interfere withthe operation thereof. It is also obvious that the simulated movement ofthe animal will provide the tricycle rider with many hours of enjoyment.Because front legs 55 and 57 have lower portions 56 and 58 pivotallyconnected thereto respectively, the horse assumes a more naturalposition due to the lower portions just described hanging in asubstantially vertical position as seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. A spacermember 114 has been provided between side members 43 and 45 at theperipheries thereof to present a thickness and to provide space for thevarious inner components.

Thus from the foregoing, it can be seen that the device accomplishes atleast all of its stated objectives.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of myanimated horse attachment for a tricycle without departing from the realspirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover bymy claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanicalequivalents which may be reasonably included Within their scope.

I claim: 1. In combination with a tricycle having a frame, two

parallel spaced apart wheels rotatably mounted on the rearward end ofsaid frame, a seat portion centrally located on said frame, asubstantially vertical fork wheel support pivotally mounted on theforward end of said frame, handle bar members operatively secured tosaid fork wheel support, a relatively larger wheel rotatably secured tothe lower end of said fork wheel support, and pedal means secured to thecenter portion of said larger wheel, elongated support members securedto the fork wheel support above said pedals to provide clearance for therotation of said pedals, a simulated animal supported on said supportmembers forwardly of said larger wheel, said animal including a bodyportion, a head portion and rearward and forward leg portions atopposite sides of said body portion, and link means connecting saidpedal means to the two rearward leg portions, one of said rearward legportions being connected to said two forward leg portions so thatmovement of said pedal means will impart movement to said rearward legportions and movement of said one rearward leg portion impartingmovement to the two forward leg portions.

2. In combination with a tricycle having a frame, two parallel spacedapart wheels rotatably mounted on the rearward end of said frame, a seatportion centrally located on said frame, a substantially vertical forkwheel support pivotally mounted on the forward end of said frame, handlebar members operatively secured to said fork wheel support, a relativelylarger wheel rotatably secured to the lower end of said fork wheelsupport, and first and second pedal members secured to opposite sides ofthe center portion of said larger wheel, elongated support memberssecured to the fork wheel support above said first and second pedalmembers to provide clearance for the rotation of said first and secondpedal members, a simulated animal supported on said support membersforwardly of said larger wheel, said animal including a body portionhaving rearward and forward ends and comprised of first and secondspaced apart sides, a head portion mounted on the forward end of saidbody portion, a first pivot pin extending through said first and secondsides adjacent their rearward ends, first and second rear legs pivotallymounted on said first pivot pin adjacent said first and second sidesrespectively, a second pivot pin extending through said first and secondsides adjacent their forward ends, first and second front legs pivotallymounted on said second pivot pin adjacent said first and second sidesrespectively, said first side having a first slot formed therein belowsaid first pivot pin, a first pin member secured to said first rear legextending inwardly through said first slot in said first side, a firstarm member pivotally secured to said first pin member between said firstand second sides and normally extending forwardly and upwardlytherefrom, a second arm member pivotally secured to said first pinmember between said first and second sides and normally extendingforwardly and downwardly therefrom, a third arm member pivotally securedat one of its ends to the forward end of said first arm member andpivotally secured at its other end to said second pivot pin, said firstside having a sec-ond slot formed therein above said second pivot pin, asecond pin member secured to said third arm member intermediate thelength thereof and extending outwardly through said second slot andbeing secured to said first front leg at a point above its pivotal axis,a fourth arm member pivotally secured at one of its ends to the forwardend of said second arm member and pivotally secured at its other end tosaid second pivot pin, said second side having a third slot formedtherein below said second pivot pin, a third pin member secured to saidfourth arm member intermediate the length thereof and extendingoutwardly through said third slot and being secured to said second frontleg at a point below its pivotal axis, a first link member connectingsaid first pedal member with said first rear leg so that movement ofsaid first pedal will impart movement to said first rear leg and saidfirst and second front legs, and a second link member connecting saidsecond pedal member and said second rear leg so that movement of saidsecond pedal member will impart movement to said second rear leg.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said head portion is movably mounted onsaid body portion with respect to said first and second sides.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein each of said first and second frontlegs have upper and lower portions pivotally secured to each other sothat the lower portions of said first and second front legs aresubstantially vertical at all times.

5. In combination with a tricycle having a frame, two parallel spacedapart wheels rotatably mounted on the rearward end of said frame, a seatportion centrally located on said frame, a substantially vertical forkwheel support pivotally mounted on the forward end of said frame, handlebar members operatively secured to said fork wheel support, a relativelylarger wheel rotatably secured to the lower end of said fork wheelsupport, and pedal means secured to the center portion of said largerWheel, elongated support members secured to the fork Wheel support abovesaid pedals to provide clearance for the rotation of said pedals, asimulated animal supported on said support members forwardly of saidlarger wheel, said animal including a body portion having rearward andforward ends and comprised of first and second spaced apart sides, ahead portion movably mounted on said body portion and having spacedapart sides, a first block member mounted between said first and secondsides adjacent their upper forward ends and having a plurality ofelongated bores extending therethrough, a second block member mounted insaid head portion between the opposite sides thereof and having aplurality of elongated bores extending therethrough, a bearing membersecured to the forward end of said body portion adjacent said firstblock member and being semicircular in crosssection and having aplurality of holes formed therein which register with said plurality ofelongated bores in said first and second block members and a pluralityof spring members connected to said first and second block members andextending through said elongated bores and said bearing member toyieldably maintain said head portion in engagement with said bearingsurface and to permit said head portion to be moved laterally withrespect to said body portion.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said one rearward leg portion isconnected to said two forward leg portions so that the rearward legportion on one side of said animal and the forward leg portion on theother side of said animal move in the same direction simultaneously.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 721,855 3/1903Belenger 2801.167 1,125,698 1/1915 Lansden et a1 280-116 1,139,1755/1915 Finley 2801.167 1,732,030 10/1929 Runyan 280-1.167 2,599,3096/1952 Wunderly 2801.202 2,866,649 12/1958 West 280-1202 FOREIGN PATENTS146,691 11/1950 Australia. 954,227 6/ 1949 France.

LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A TRICYCLE HAVING A FRAME, TWO PARALLEL SPACED APART WHEELS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE REARWARD END OF SAID FRAME, A SEAT PORTION CENTRALLY LOCATED ON SAID FRAME, A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL FORK WHEEL SUPPORT PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE FORWARD END OF SAID FRAME, HANDLE BAR MEMBERS OPERATIVELY SECURED TO SAID FORK WHEEL SUPPORT, A RELATIVELY LARGER WHEEL ROTATABLY SECURED TO THE LOWER END OF SAID FORK WHEEL SUPPORT, AND PEDAL MEANS SECURED TO THE CENTER PORTION OF SAID LARGER WHEEL, ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBER SECURED TO THE FORK WHEEL SUPPORT ABOVE SAID PEDALS TO PROVIDE CLEARANCE FOR THE ROTATION OF SAID PEDALS, A SIMULATED ANIMAL SUPPORTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS FORWARDLY OF SAID LARGER WHEEL, SAID ANIMAL INCLUDING A BODY PORTION, A HEAD PORTION AND REARWARD AND FORWARD LEG PORTIONS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BODY PORTION, AND LINK MEANS CONNECTING SAID PEDAL MEANS TO THE TWO REARWARD LEG PORTIONS, ONE OF SAID REARWARD LEG PORTIONS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID TWO FORWARD LEG PORTIONS SO THAT MOVEMENT OF SAID PEDAL MEANS WILL IMPART MOVEMENT TO SAID REARWARD LEG PORTIONS AND MOVEMENT OF SAID ONE REARWARD LEG PORTION IMPARTING MOVEMENT TO THE TWO FORWARD LEG PORTIONS. 